I agree, given his… proclivities?… I hope he gets an incredibly interesting story that doesn't just sweep his history under the table.

Totally agree with you here, Lori. It’s always so disappointing when the very things that interested me about a secondary character disappear when that character takes center stage in his/her own book.

Then you'll be just in time for when the last book in the series, “Tantalizing Secrets,” is released Feb 24th.

Thanks! I’ve loved the first two, and have been dying to know when Peter’s story was coming out. Too lazy to go look it up whenever the thought comes to me. I agree, given his… proclivities?… I hope he gets an incredibly interesting story that doesn’t just sweep his history under the table. Can’t wait for it. Putting this on my radar for later this month.

Actually, the name Severus is why the ebook has been languishing on my hard drive since it was purchased. The blurb intrigued me, but when I tried reading it right after buying, I kept getting images of Snape (mmm, Alan Rickman) in my head.

I don't know about anyone else, but as a Harry Potter fan I'd have a hard time getting over the name “Severus” for the hero, the association is too strong in my mind.

I had no idea. I don’t read Harry Potter, although my children are avid fans! But that’s the beauty of ebooks, you can call him what you like! How about “Robert” or “Christopher,” or maybe “Phineas.”

I thought the same thing, but the book sounds very intriguing! I guess we could change the name in the file? :)

I wrote this story a few years ago, just before I wrote my first contemporary, and I think if I were to rewrite it, I'd tone it down a bit and definitely redo the villain. Now I think I'd write a man tormented by his family's demands to provide an heir and distorted by the society he was brought up in.
Angie made me write and redo this, and she checked every word, to make sure there were no anachronisms. I tell you, she's a marvel.

Now that I could believe. I’m afraid that now he just comes off as a bit of a loony.

The house in the story was based on Longleat. Gorgeous, grand place, but hard to imagine actually living there.

Just googled images of Longleat. Wow. I sat looking at it trying to imagine the infantry regiment of maids needed just to keep the windows nice and shiney. There was also a color coded diagram of the maze!

Met By Chance, with its more assertive heroine, Perdita, was actually written fairly recently, and I think it shows. For a few years I was obsessed with the Cinderella trope, but with the contemporaries I had to write more assertive heroines, and surprise surprise, I liked it.

Ah…I see. Perdita is much more confident and now that you’ve told me the writing timeline, it makes much more sense that Penny isn’t.

They didn't stop for lunch as such, they stopped to change the horses, definitely necessary on a trip like this, and went inside for a meal while they were being sorted out. It would mean changing the tack and ensuring the original horses were sent back where they came from, after a rest. Should have made that clearer. But I love the idea of “A Swithland.” This story is set pre-sandwich, so that was a problem! And if you've seen my DH down a pint, you'd know it can be done in five minutes flat.

LOL. The sororities at my college used to have chugging contests. Not quite a pint down at a time but those who were good at it could slam back some beer.

The swordfight I had the help of a modern fencing master to get the weapons and the acts right. He liked the dirty play, said it was more realistic!

Oh, cool. Does he do much of this sort of thing?

The abduction – yes, it could have happened. There are two things here – the legality of the action and the scandal. Too much scandal and it would have been curtains anyway. So once at sea, Penny could have been done for. Actually, the 1754 Marriage Act was specifically drawn up to prevent such abductions. Heiresses were being abducted and/or tricked into marriage all over the place up till then, and the White Papers proposing the Act mention them as a prime reason to regularise the marriage. When the Act was passed, people who didn't understand its import still tried to abduct heiresses or elope with them but their families at least had some redress.

Hmmm, I was just wondering if it ever actually had been tried. I guess nothing would stand between some villains and the chance at a nice, tidy fortune. It also explains the absolute insistence on chaperons for the young ladies.

Anyway, thanks for a super review. I'm thinking of doing Antonia's story. She just seemed like an interesting character to go with. With her beloved brother happily married, what are her plans? She won't want to gooseberry for the rest of her life.

Yes, yes. I was hoping Antonia might get her HEA. She sounds like she could be a handful for any man to deal with.